Securing altitude in biz through attitude of gratitude
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- Category: SME toolkit
- Written by Bridget Olotu
- Hits: 867
While this article may be late for some companies that have already closed for 2010, it will be useful to those who are yet to close and to SME owners and operators generally. I strongly believe that as a business in 2010, we encountered diverse favours and assistance from many individuals and corporate establishments. These favours came in the form of new businesses, new opportunities, new relationships, new ideas, new platforms given to us and many more. Besides, in business, there are important stakeholders whose contributions to our business success and attainment of goals cannot be easily ignored. These include for me God, your family, your customers, employees, and others. This list is deliberately written up in that order.
Now, why show gratitude? There are numerous reasons you need to show gratitude to these people.One, without them you wouldn’t have succeeded with your business plans, strategies, goals, objectives, and projections. Two, if these people hadn’t played the role they played, you wouldn’t have been able to play your own role as a manager, leader or owner of the business. Three, gratitude is a seed. And because it is a seed, when it is sown in the right soil, it germinates and produces a great harvest. When you naturally thank people for what they’ve done, they’d want to do more. Four, you need these same people for your future plans and projections. Five, without these people, the chances of your business success are slim and dim.
One of the ways to strengthen your sense of gratitude is to think through how you survived the travails of this year as a person and a business and to still stand very strong. A Yoruba proverb captures it this way. It says, “If you can think, you can thank.” For instance, when you think of the numerous blessings of God for the year; His numerous deliverances; His ever-abiding grace and mercies; His never-failing protection and preservation; His kindness and forgiveness; and you recall the numerous escapes you experienced this year, you will definitely have a reason to give your unreserved gratitude to God.
Showing gratitude in business is already formalised and practised by many businesses. Many organisations do this by exchanging gifts, hosting parties and honouring those they have identified as having contributed to their success in the year, by hosting a Thanksgiving Service held in a place of worship, and so on. The bottom-line is that showing/giving gratitude to those who deserve it in your business is another way of guaranteeing the longevity of your business.
There is no way you can engage the force of gratitude in your business and not experience an increase in the favour of God and men. For instance, as an entrepreneur, your business survived the difficult onslaughts that it faced this year. A weak economy; a tough and depressed business environment; low sales and low profitability; cash-strapped business operations and all what not, yet your business didn’t go down in bankruptcy or business failure.
Those you need to give your gratitude to for their contribution to your success in business
1. God: He comes first on the list. You have God to thank for everything He’s done for you this year. Every year, government ministries, departments and agencies end the year in thanksgiving. You find the judiciary, the executive and legislative arms and others, visit worship houses as individuals and as groups to return the glory to God, to whom all power, wisdom and grace belong. Do you have a programme to thank God for His mercies in your business this year? If you don’t want to tank (fail/depreciate), then you’ve got to thank Him! When you appreciate God, you begin to appreciate.
2. Your Family: After God, your family is the most important human unit that God has blessed you with. The world is a hostile and unfriendly place, but when you are at peace with your family, it becomes a sanctuary of safety and not a mortuary of war and attrition. Believe in your family. Love your husband or wife and children. Invest in your family. Let them know that you appreciate them. For instance, I am blessed with an understanding husband who gives me space to express myself and the gifts God has given me. I am blessed with a supportive and loving partner and cute children. I owe them a duty to appreciate them at this time. Are you a man, write your wife the loveliest letter she has ever read in her entire life. Are you a woman entrepreneur, write your husband the loveliest letter of appreciation that will stun him for a long time to come. Show them you care and appreciate them for their understanding. Also, thank your children for their support and obedience too.
3. Customers: You need to thank your customers by sending them hampers if you can afford them. You can also send them cards, letters of appreciation, ring them up to wish them the blessings of the seasons. Look for creative and ingenious ways to thank your customers. When you thank your customers for doing business with you this year, you’re creating the impression in their minds that they are important to you and that you value their partnership and business to you. By doing this, you’ll be fulfilling one natural law: every human being loves to be respected and appreciated. Doing this will convert your customers to friends, supporters and partners in your business.
4. Your employees: Your employees are one reason your customers have continued to come back to your shop, office, warehouse or marketplace to buy from you. Without your employees, you would have been the secretary, accountant, executive assistant, marketer, business development officer, etc. Your business would have remained so small. Indeed, the future of your enterprise is not only tied to the availability of your customers, but also to the quality and commitment of the people working with you. They can mar or make your business. You need to create a forum to appreciate them. A small party, get-together, letter/card of appreciation, a word of appreciation, a little gift, a compliment here and there will go a long way to securing the commitment and loyalty of your employees and make them more determined to serve in your organisation. In some large organisations around, I understand that the MD writes personalised notes to every employee in addition to other forms of appreciation. The efforts may be small, but the returns are magical.
5. Others: You have your place of worship to thank for keeping you spiritually alive this year, your religious leaders inclusive if you can have access to them. You have your friends, suppliers, business partners, well-wishers, supporters, neighbours, etc, to thank for standing by you during this year.
You cannot thank these people and not make a positive impression. When you engage the force of gratitude at this closing period of the year, you’re opening a vista of fresh opportunities to yourself and your business interests. Let me use this opportunity to thank the Weekly Trust team for giving me the opportunity to be on this platform. I also want to thank the readers of my column and those who have been following me all this while. May God bless and keep you all. May the New Year result in better and greater opportunities for you!
Articles
Securing altitude in biz through attitude of gratitude
Category: SME toolkit Written by Bridget Olotu Hits: 867
While this article may be late for some companies that have already closed for 2010, it will be useful to those who are yet to close and to SME owners and operators generally. I strongly believe that as a business in 2010, we encountered diverse favours and assistance from many individuals and corporate establishments. These favours came in the form of new businesses, new opportunities, new relationships, new ideas, new platforms given to us and many more. Besides, in business, there are important stakeholders whose contributions to our business success and attainment of goals cannot be easily ignored. These include for me God, your family, your customers, employees, and others. This list is deliberately written up in that order.
Now, why show gratitude? There are numerous reasons you need to show gratitude to these people.One, without them you wouldn’t have succeeded with your business plans, strategies, goals, objectives, and projections. Two, if these people hadn’t played the role they played, you wouldn’t have been able to play your own role as a manager, leader or owner of the business. Three, gratitude is a seed. And because it is a seed, when it is sown in the right soil, it germinates and produces a great harvest. When you naturally thank people for what they’ve done, they’d want to do more. Four, you need these same people for your future plans and projections. Five, without these people, the chances of your business success are slim and dim.
One of the ways to strengthen your sense of gratitude is to think through how you survived the travails of this year as a person and a business and to still stand very strong. A Yoruba proverb captures it this way. It says, “If you can think, you can thank.” For instance, when you think of the numerous blessings of God for the year; His numerous deliverances; His ever-abiding grace and mercies; His never-failing protection and preservation; His kindness and forgiveness; and you recall the numerous escapes you experienced this year, you will definitely have a reason to give your unreserved gratitude to God.
Showing gratitude in business is already formalised and practised by many businesses. Many organisations do this by exchanging gifts, hosting parties and honouring those they have identified as having contributed to their success in the year, by hosting a Thanksgiving Service held in a place of worship, and so on. The bottom-line is that showing/giving gratitude to those who deserve it in your business is another way of guaranteeing the longevity of your business.
There is no way you can engage the force of gratitude in your business and not experience an increase in the favour of God and men. For instance, as an entrepreneur, your business survived the difficult onslaughts that it faced this year. A weak economy; a tough and depressed business environment; low sales and low profitability; cash-strapped business operations and all what not, yet your business didn’t go down in bankruptcy or business failure.
Those you need to give your gratitude to for their contribution to your success in business
1. God: He comes first on the list. You have God to thank for everything He’s done for you this year. Every year, government ministries, departments and agencies end the year in thanksgiving. You find the judiciary, the executive and legislative arms and others, visit worship houses as individuals and as groups to return the glory to God, to whom all power, wisdom and grace belong. Do you have a programme to thank God for His mercies in your business this year? If you don’t want to tank (fail/depreciate), then you’ve got to thank Him! When you appreciate God, you begin to appreciate.
2. Your Family: After God, your family is the most important human unit that God has blessed you with. The world is a hostile and unfriendly place, but when you are at peace with your family, it becomes a sanctuary of safety and not a mortuary of war and attrition. Believe in your family. Love your husband or wife and children. Invest in your family. Let them know that you appreciate them. For instance, I am blessed with an understanding husband who gives me space to express myself and the gifts God has given me. I am blessed with a supportive and loving partner and cute children. I owe them a duty to appreciate them at this time. Are you a man, write your wife the loveliest letter she has ever read in her entire life. Are you a woman entrepreneur, write your husband the loveliest letter of appreciation that will stun him for a long time to come. Show them you care and appreciate them for their understanding. Also, thank your children for their support and obedience too.
3. Customers: You need to thank your customers by sending them hampers if you can afford them. You can also send them cards, letters of appreciation, ring them up to wish them the blessings of the seasons. Look for creative and ingenious ways to thank your customers. When you thank your customers for doing business with you this year, you’re creating the impression in their minds that they are important to you and that you value their partnership and business to you. By doing this, you’ll be fulfilling one natural law: every human being loves to be respected and appreciated. Doing this will convert your customers to friends, supporters and partners in your business.
4. Your employees: Your employees are one reason your customers have continued to come back to your shop, office, warehouse or marketplace to buy from you. Without your employees, you would have been the secretary, accountant, executive assistant, marketer, business development officer, etc. Your business would have remained so small. Indeed, the future of your enterprise is not only tied to the availability of your customers, but also to the quality and commitment of the people working with you. They can mar or make your business. You need to create a forum to appreciate them. A small party, get-together, letter/card of appreciation, a word of appreciation, a little gift, a compliment here and there will go a long way to securing the commitment and loyalty of your employees and make them more determined to serve in your organisation. In some large organisations around, I understand that the MD writes personalised notes to every employee in addition to other forms of appreciation. The efforts may be small, but the returns are magical.
5. Others: You have your place of worship to thank for keeping you spiritually alive this year, your religious leaders inclusive if you can have access to them. You have your friends, suppliers, business partners, well-wishers, supporters, neighbours, etc, to thank for standing by you during this year.
You cannot thank these people and not make a positive impression. When you engage the force of gratitude at this closing period of the year, you’re opening a vista of fresh opportunities to yourself and your business interests. Let me use this opportunity to thank the Weekly Trust team for giving me the opportunity to be on this platform. I also want to thank the readers of my column and those who have been following me all this while. May God bless and keep you all. May the New Year result in better and greater opportunities for you!